Apparatus for reproducing relief images on solid bodies

ABSTRACT

Semi-automatic apparatus for reproducing relief images on blocks or slabs of marble, granite and the like, comprising a sensing member and a power driven working tool, as rotably interconnected about two axes at right angles to each other, said sensing member and working tool being movable along a longitudinal axis and rotable about an axis at right angles to said longitudinal axis, as carried by a head which through a piston-cylinder assembly can be raised or lowered relative to a bearing base.

tilted States Patent 1191 1111 3,8 Menghini 5] Aug. 27, 1974 [54] APPARATUS FOR REPRODUCING RELIEF 2393,51? 5/195; "1521mm et al.1 90/131 B D 3,055,l 4 9 196 Boer et a 33 23 B IMAGES 0N SOLID 3,156,155 11/1964 Weaver 90/l3.l [75] Inventor: ng g V1118 d Alme, a y 3,657,820 4/1972 Vermeulen 33/23 B [73] Assignee: Giacomo Cortinovis, Boldone, Italy Primary Examiner-Al Lawrence Smith [22] Flled' 1972 Assistant Examiner-Nicholas P. Godici [21] Appl. No.: 297,771

57 ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data 2 f 0d l f emi-automatic apparatus or repr ucing re ie im- Oct. 22, 1971 Italy 2947/71 ages on blocks or slabs of marble, granite and the like, [52] Us Cl 125/7 33/23 B 33/23 C comprising a sensing member and a power driven 90/13 working tool, as rotably interconnected about two [51] Int Cl 328d 1/26 B44b 1/0'2 axes at right angles to each other, said sensing mem- [58] Field l2 3 4 6 a 8 11 her and working tool being movable alongalongitudinal axis and rotable about an axis at right angles to said longitudinal axis, as carried by a head which [56] References Cited through a piston-cylinder assembly can be raised or UNITED STATES PATENTS lowered relative to a bearing base. 2,604,424 7/ I882 Shortsleeve l25/4 7 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure 17 g 1 13 22 3 f 1 6+ 1; 201 I v CONTROLLED FLUID CIRCUIT PATENIEU Z 3.831 @575 CONTROLLED I FLUID 20 CIRCUIT APPARATUS FOR REPRODUCING RELIEF IMAGES ON SOLID BODIES This invention relates to an apparatus for reproducing relief images on solid bodies, particularly on marble, granite and hard stone slabs or blocks.

It is known that when making low reliefs, engravings and profiles on stone, such as ledgers, tombstones and shaped slabs for building lining, first the low relief or the like is made on a readily mouldable material and then the shaped surface is manually reproduced on stone blocks or slabs by a tool manually operated by a highly skilled worker copying the original work.

This processing method involves substantial costs, mainly due to the reproduction of the shaped surfaces having to be made by such highly skilled workers, and also because the processing times for the hard stone blocks or slabs are very long, sometimes in the order of many weeks, and this just because the reproduction of the original work is completely manually carried out and allotted to a workers skill. This would involve further disadvantages, since the work as reproduced on hard stone could be also substantially different from the original work, which could be seriously detrimental to the aesthetic appearance of the processed stone slab thus obtained.

Finally, it should be noted that by the prior art manual methods as used for reproducing shaped images on hard stone slabs or blocks, it would be impossible to provide for such a mass-production as to enable to make in a short time a plurality of copies of a single original work.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a semi-automatic apparatus enabling to repro duce in a short time and by a comparatively simple procedure shaped images on slabs or blocks of granite, marble and like, copying shaped images as formed on an original work, the apparatus being used by a worker not necessarily of a very high skill.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above character, which is of a low cost of production, readily operated, highly reliable and reduced floor space.

These and still further objects are accomplished by an apparatus comprising a base carrying by at least one piston-cylinder unit a head which is passed through by a hole, in which an elongated tube extends as freely rotably carried and movable on its own axis by rolling bearings carried by said head, a sensing member and a working tool of the power driven type, of which one is supported at one end of the tube and the other at the other end of said tube, at least one control bar fast with the sensing member and a circuit for a pressurized fluid and a discharge circuit, both of which connected to the piston-cylinder assembly through valves operable by control elements to cause a movement in either direction between the piston and associated cylinder.

For a better understanding of the apparatus structure and features, an embodiment thereof will now be described, as given by mere way of not limiting example, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein the single FIGURE is a schematic perspective and partly sectional view showing the apparatus according to the invention.

As shown in the drawing, the apparatuscomprises a base 1, with which is fast an inner cylindrical shell 2 of circular crosssection, with the latter being fast a cylinder 3 accomodating a piston 4 which can be moved in either direction. Thus, holes are provided adjacent the ends of cylinder 3, such holes not being shown in the drawing for simplicity and through which a pressurized fluid, such as compressed air, can be introduced into the chambers above or below the piston 4, which chambers below or above said piston being at the same time connected with the discharge or exhaust, so as to provide for upward or downward movement of the piston within the cylinder 3.

A stem 5 is fast with piston 4 and carries an outer cylindrical shell 6 overlapping and freely movable and rotable on the inner cylindrical shell 2, thereby acting as a guide for the outer shell which is restrained to piston 4 The outer shell 6 carries a heat 7, a longitudinal hole passing therethrough at right angles to the axis of cylinder 3, in which rolling bearings 8 are arranged. in turn, these bearings 8 support an elongated tube 9, freely rotable about its own axis and freely movable therealong still supported by said bearings 8.

Two rigid rods 10 and 11, respectively, are accomodated within said tube 9 and freely movable parallel to-the axis of the tube, the ends of these rods projecting from the ends of tube 9, as clearly shown in the drawing.

A sensing member 12 having a sensing tip 13 projecting therefrom is attached to one end of said rods 10 and 11 by pins and can rotate thereabout. A body member 14 having a working tool 15 projecting therefrom is attached to the other end of said rods 10 and 11 still by pins and can rotate thereabout. It is apparent that said rods 10 and 11, sensing member 12 and body member 14 act as an articulated parallelogram, wherein the sensing member and working tool are supported by such links or articulations that, assuming to rotate the sensing member about an axis perpendicular to the drawing plane, also the working tool similarly rotates about an axis perpendicular to the drawing plane, as readily understood by examining the FIGURE of the drawing.

It will also be seen in the drawing that, in addition to the free ends of tube 9, two clamping elements 16 are provided, as overlapping the rods 10 and 11, which clamping elements can be operated so as to steadily restrain the two rigid rods to each other (thereby avoiding any rotations of the sensing member and working too] about the axes perpendicular to the drawing plane), or operated so as to allow a free sliding for onev rod relative to the other within said tube 9'.

Finally, it will be seen that a control bar 17 is fast with the sensing member 12 and two elongated cylindrical members 18 are fast with base 1, these members 18 having axes parallel to each other and being freely slidable on two elongated fixed guides 19 carried by a cap or base 20.

Assume that said body member 14 and tool 15 comprise a small pneumatic hammer wherein the tool 15 is a chisel continuously oscillating along its axis under the action of compressed air in a per se well known manner and for simplicity not described in detail herein and because not necessary for the understanding of the present invention, and assume to reproduce on a marble or granite slab 21 a desired image, such as an engraving or a low relief, as reproduced on a previously shaped slab 22, this slab 22 being placed below the sensing member and plate or slab 21 being positioned below the working tool.

A worker, seizing by his hands the control bar 17, will cause the free end of the sensing tip 13 to slide on the shaped surface of slab 22, while the free end of tool 15 automatically reproduces said shaped surface on slab 21. In order to follow or trace the profiles of the shaped surface on slab 22, the worker can cause the sensing member to slide in a longitudinal direction along with the rods 10 and 11, tube 9 and working tool in the direction of the hole axis in head 7, and can also rotate both the sensing member and working tool about the axis of tube 9. Moreover, and still acting on said control bar 17, the sensing member and working tip can be simultaneously oscillated about links or articulations comprising pins at the ends of rods 10 and 11, or can rotate the sensing member and working tool about axes at right angles to the drawing plane.

in order to provide for substantial movements of the sensing tip and working tool relative to the surface of slabs 22 and 21, by actuating a pushbutton 23 or a pushbutton 24 the worker can cause the introduction of compressed air (or other pressure fluid, such as oil) into the cylinder 3 above the piston 4, communication the chamber of cylinder 3 below said piston with the outlet, or can supply compressed air below the pistion 4 and communicate the chamber above said piston with the outlet. Obviously, the control by means of pushbuttons 23 and 24 for opening or closing the valves which should be necessarily provided at the end holes of cylinder 3, can be accomplished in many different ways readily effectable by those skilled in the art, and therefore the operating circuit for piston 4 will not be described herein. Rather, the controlled fluid circuit is simply represented by the labeled box 25.

Finally, it will be seen that the full scanning of the surface of slab 22 by the sensing tip 13 is also promoted in that said tip can be rotated along with tube 9, head 7 and outer cylindrical shell 6 about the axis of the cylindrical shell 2, and in that the base 1 with the assembly of members thereby supported can be longitudinally moved on guides 19.

Of course, rather than being steadily attached on shell 6, said head 7 could be mounted thereon so as to effect small vertical movements relative to the shell, which can be made, for example, by causing pins projecting from the shell to enter holes in said head 7 and between said shell and head interposing such springs or weights that the worker holding the control bar 17 can cause by manual operation said bar along with head 7 to slightly vertically move relative to shell 6, in which case the pins projecting from the shell would obviously move in the associated housing holes of head 7.

It is also apparent that, instead of comprising a small pneumatic hammer, said working tool could comprise a small pneumatic or electrical cutter, or any other power driven working tool;

According to a preferred use of the above described apparatus, first a coarse working of the surface of slab 21 is made, such as by a comparatively large-sized cutter, and next substituting said cutter for a cutter of a smaller size and then accomplishing a fine working of the surface of said slab 21, so as to reproduce thereon the small details as provided on the surface of slab 22.

From the foregoing it will be readily understood that the inventive apparatus is of a simple structure and low cost and can be readily used for reproducing with a relative speed and high accuracy shaped images on slabs or blocks of stone, marble, granite and the like, by copying said images from a previously finished shaped surface.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for reproducing relief images in bodies comprising:

a base;

a piston-cylinder unit carried by said base and oriented for transverse movement of the piston relative to said base;

a head coupled to said piston and moveable by said piston, said head being rotatable about the axis of said piston-cylinder unit;

an elongated arm coupled between its ends to said head by a coupling means and extending transversely to said piston-cylinder unit, said coupling means permitting linear movement and rotational movement of said arm about the axis of said arm;

a sensing member positioned at one of said arm ends;

a power driven working tool positioned at the other of said arm ends; and

a control bar coupled to said sensing member for moving said sensing member along the surface of a pattern, whereby said sensing member and said tool are rotatable and moveable parallel to the axis of both said piston-cylinder unit and said arm while being subjected to force, applied by said piston.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including in combination a controlled fluid circuit coupled to said piston-cylinder unit for controlling the pressure on at least one side of said piston, and wherein said elongated arm comprises an elongated tube.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sensing member and said working tool are fitted with links, being rotatable thereon about two axes parallel to each other and perpendicular to the axis of said tube, a kinematic means being provided for rotatably connecting on the associated links said sensing member to the working tool.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said head is freely rotably mounted on said base about an axis at right angles to the axis of said tube.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said kinematic means comprise two rigid rods passing through and extending beyond the ends of said tube, the opposite ends of the two rods being restrained by pins, comprising said links, to said sensing member and said working tool in an articulated parallelogram fashion.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said base is freely movably mounted on elongated fixed guides.

7. An apparatus for reproducing three-dimensional relief images in bodies comprising:

a base;

a piston-cylinder unit carried by said base and oriented for transverse movement of the piston relative to said base;

a head coupled to said piston and moveable by said piston, said head being rotatable about the axis of said piston-cylinder unit;

an elongated tube coupled between its ends to said head by bearings positioned between said tube and a power driven working tool pivotally coupled to the other end of each rod by means of another pair of spaced apart pivots, said sensing member and working tool this being coupled to said two rods to form an articulated parallelogram;

a controlled fluid circuit coupled to said pistoncylinder unit for controlling the pressure on at least one side of said piston; and

a control bar attached to said sensing member for moveing said sensing member along the surface of a three dimensional pattern, whereby said sensing member and said working tool are moveable parallel to the axes of both said piston-cylinder unit and said tube, and rotatable around the axis of said piston-cylinder unit, the axis of said tube, and an axis perpendicular to said tube, while being subject to a controlled force applied by said piston. 

1. An apparatus for reproducing relief images in bodies comprising: a base; a piston-cylinder unit carried by said base and oriented for transverse movement of the piston relative to said base; a head coupled to said piston and moveable by said piston, said head being rotatable about the axis of said piston-cylinder unit; an elongated arm coupled between its ends to said head by a coupling means and extending transversely to said pistoncylinder unit, said coupling means permitting linear movement and rotational movement of said arm about the axis of said arm; a sensing member positioned at one of said arm ends; a power driven working tool positioned at the other of said arm ends; and a control bar coupled to said sensing member for moving said sensing member along the surface of a pattern, whereby said sensing member and said tool are rotatable and moveable parallel to the axis of both said piston-cylinder unit and said arm while being subjected to force, applied by said piston.
 2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including in combination a controlled fluid circuit coupled to said piston-cylinder unit for controlling the pressure on at least one side of said piston, and wherein said elongated arm comprises an elongated tube.
 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said sensing member and said working tool are fitted with links, being rotatable thereon about two axes parallel to each other and perpendicular to the axis of said tube, a kinematic means being provided for rotatably connecting on the associated links said sensing member to the working tool.
 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said head is freely rotably mounted on said base about an axis at right angles to the axis of said tube.
 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said kinematic means comprise two rigid rods passing through and extending beyond the ends of said tube, the opposite ends of the two rods being restrained by pins, comprising said links, to said sensing member and said working tool in an articulated parallelogram fashion.
 6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said base is freely movably mounted on elongated fixed guides.
 7. An apparatus for reproducing three-dimensional relief images in bodies comprising: a base; a piston-cylinder unit carried by said base and oriented for transverse movement of the piston relative to said base; a head coupled to said piston and moveable by said piston, said head being rotatable about the axis of said piston-cylinder unit; an elongated tube coupled between its ends to said head by bearings positioned between said tube and said head and permitting linear movement and rotational movement of said tube about the axis of said tube; two rods passing through and extending beyond said tube ends; a sensing member pivotally coupled to one end of said rod by means of a pair of spaced apart pivots; a power driven working tool pivotally coupled to the other end of each rod by means of another pair of spaced apart pivots, said sensing member and working tool this being coupled to said two rods to form an articulated parallelogram; a controlled fluid circuit coupled to said piston-cylinder unit for controlling the pressure on at least one side of said piston; and a control bar attached to said sensing member for moveing said sensing member along the surface of a three dimensional pattern, whereby said sensing member and said working tool are moveable parallel to the axes of both said piston-cylinder unit and said tube, and rotatable around the axis of said piston-cylinder unit, the axis of said tube, and an axis perpendicular to said tube, while being subject to a controlled force applied by said piston. 